NEWTOWN, Pa. — Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, wife of Eric Trump and daughter-in-law of the former president, and other officials spoke in Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon about the integrity of the election, with some attendees telling The Washington Post that they plan to vote by mail.
“We want to create an army of 100,000 people across the country to ensure the integrity of our elections,” Trump told a packed crowd in Newtown, Bucks County.
Trump made a stop in Pennsylvania as part of the Republican National Convention’s “Protect the Vote Tour,” which kicked off in Michigan on Friday and is set to continue as the party seeks to train poll watchers and legal experts to monitor key polling places across the country.
She said it’s part of an effort to ensure “every legal vote” is counted in the November election, as an increase in mail-in voting raises new procedural questions.
“This is unlike anything we’ve ever done before,” Trump said. “Not only are we training people to be poll watchers, but we’re also training people to be actual poll workers who will be in the counting centers where the mail-in ballots are coming in.”
Trump was joined by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, Representative Dan Meuser (R-PA), and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a key member of Donald Trump’s defense team in his first impeachment trial. All speakers gave short speeches that were well received by attendees.
In outlining his vision for the RNC’s election integrity tour, Whatley said the organization has tried to focus on too many things in the past.
He said his two main priorities should be encouraging people to vote and “protecting” the vote, which he defined as making sure state election laws are followed while supporting “common sense” measures such as requiring voter ID and routinely purging voter rolls in future elections.
Whatley also stressed the importance of being “present on the ground” to protect the electoral process, drawing on his experience as a lawyer who worked on the infamous 2000 Bush v. Gore recount in Broward County, Florida.
“If we didn’t have 400-plus lawyers in there, we’d be talking about President Gore, not President Bush,” Whatley said. “What’s stayed with me since that day is how important it is that we’re in this room.”
At the event, which also included a closed-door training session for aspiring election monitors, attendees expressed concerns about the integrity of the election but also laid out various plans for civic engagement this fall after the party reversed course and adopted mail-in voting.
“Intend to [vote] “I’m trying to send my ballot through the mail in case I suddenly get sick or have to take care of my dog or my grandmother,” Kathy Kopp said. “I want to make sure my vote gets there.”
“I’m worried not just about voting by mail, but about voting in person,” said Lucy Betzler, who supports ID requirements and plans to vote by mail. “If someone wants to cheat, they’re going to find a way.”
Another woman told The Post that she plans to vote in person and is most looking forward to hearing Lara Trump speak on Tuesday.
“I want to see a strong woman at the Republican National Convention who will make a difference,” said the woman, who asked not to be named because she works in insurance. “She’s a really incredible woman and they’ve done a great job getting her into that position.”
